MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ROUNDUP
Girardi: Sanchez will most likely hit second in Yanks' lineup
The New York Yankees will likely bat power-hitting catcher Gary Sanchez second in their lineup at the start of the season. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Tuesday that he was leaning toward having Brett Gardner bat leadoff, followed by Sanchez, Greg Bird, Matt Holliday and Jacoby Ellsbury. Girardi said he had been thinking about breaking up the left-handed hitting Gardner and Ellsbury. "It makes it harder to navigate through our lineup," Girardi said. "We feel like it's a better situation for all of us. This could very well be similar to our opening day lineup." Sanchez hit 20 homers in 53 games last season after being recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in early August. Bird has shown a power swing during spring training after missing all of last season with a shoulder injury. Girardi said it's likely that Ronald Torreyes will start at short in place of Didi Gregorius, who will begin the season on the disabled list with a shoulder strain. Adam Warren, who was in the mix for the fifth starter spot, will work out of the bullpen.
Red Sox 9, Pirates 2
Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. homered, and minor leaguer Heiker Meneses had a two-run triple in the first inning as Boston pounded Drew Hutchison for seven quick hits. Betts had a two-run double and Bradley an RBI single in the fourth. Hutchinson went 3 2/3 innings, giving up nine runs and 10 hits. Bradley and leadoff batter Brock Holt finished with three hits apiece. Steven Wright went four innings for the Red Sox, giving up four hits and a run. Pirates reliever Juan Nicasio has 14 strikeouts in eight scoreless innings this spring.
Tigers 6, Yankees 3
Detroit finally got to Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka after being held hitless over 10 2/3 innings and three starts. Ian Kinsler singled, Alex Presley doubled him home and Presley scored on a throwing error by catcher Gary Sanchez. Tanaka, who finished the spring with a 0.38 ERA, went five innings and yielded three hits. He struck out six. Justin Upton had a two-run homer for the Tigers, his fifth. Aaron Judge, competing with Aaron Hicks to start in right field, hit his third homer for New York. Detroit starter Michael Fulmer, who tweaked his right ankle again, gave up a run and three hits in five innings. The Tigers told Anibal Sanchez he will pitch out of the bullpen.
Cardinals 3, Mets 3 (9)
Adam Wainwright gave up three runs and five hits with no walks over five innings for St. Louis. Matt Adams homered and had three hits, and Jhonny Peralta got two hits. Matt Carpenter went 0 for 2 and is hitless in his last 11 at-bats with five strikeouts. Robert Gsellman allowed three runs and five hits with six strikeouts in six innings for the Mets. Lucas Duda hit a three-run homer, and Yoenis Cespedes got two hits and made a leaping catch at the wall.